Dates announced for the 2019 Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi

Every year some of the best tennis players in the world come to Abu Dhabi to take part in the annual Mubadala World Tennis Championship.

The capital has played host to Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Serena Williams in recent years, to name but a few.

Back for the 2019, the torunamnet is set to take place a little earlier this year, instead of being held over the last few days of December.

This year the tournament will be held from December 19 to 21 at Zayed Sports City's International Tennis Centre.

Aiming to attract even more fans this year, the dates have been moved to earlier in the month so residents can attend the tournament before travelling over the festive period.

Nine matches will be played across three days of competition with off-court attractions including tennis clinics, autograph and question and answer sessions and the tennis village keeping families entertained.

Last year a stellar line up of players took part in the event including world No. 1 and tournament champion Novak Djokovic, 18-time major winner Rafael Nadal and the Williams sisters, Serena and Venus.

Pre-registration for the 2019 edition is now open with ticket sales expected to go live in July.